Protest held against arrest of 8 youth in Sopore

Srinagar, October 28, 2014 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, a protest demonstration was held in Sopore against the arrest of eight youth by Indian police on fake charges.

The protesters staged a sit-in outside Bomai police station and deputy commissioner’s office in the town.

The protesters asserted that the youth in police custody were not arrested but produced before the police after latter sought their attendance in the police station. “They were not arrested but produced before the police by Sarpanch of the area after police sought their appearance in police station Sopore,” a protester said.

Mohammad, another protester from Zaloora, said the police and the army were forcing people of the upper reaches in Sopore to work for them as informers. “These men remained in the custody of the police for several days. The police claim that they recovered arms from them is totally baseless,” he said.

The FIR filed by the police said that the arrested youth included Mohammad Qasim Gujar, Mohammad Iqbal, Hakim Din, Lateef Ahmad Gujar, Zubair Ahmad Gujar, Rayees Ahmad Butt, Sajjad Ahmad Butt and Shabbir Ahmad Kumar. Lateef and Hakim Din are government employees, while the rest are involved in various businesses, their family members said in a media interview.

Contrary to the police claims, the parents and relatives of these men have a different story to tell.

Hanifa Begam, mother of three arrested brothers, said, “On October 20, the army told us to bring them for questioning at the camp of 30 Rashtriya Rifles. On October 22, they were shifted to the Sopore district police lines.”

“From Sopore, they were sent to the Cargo (a special counterinsurgency cell of Kashmir police) in Srinagar,” she added.